Safety of Journalists Logo
University of Liverpool logo

The University of Liverpool is one of the top UK universities, member of the prestigious Russell Group of 24 leading UK universities.

Worlds of Journalism study logo

The Worlds of Journalism Study is a cross-national collaborative project assessing the state of journalism in the world through representative surveys with journalists.

UNESCO logo prefixed with

UNESCO is the lead UN Agency for promoting freedom of expression and safety of journalists as part of its mandate to “promote the free flow of ideas by word and image”.

Viviane Schönbächler

Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Hamburg

journalists' safety and security feminist media studies media & conflict intersectionality digital technologies

Our research project examines the awareness and practices in digital security of German journalists when working on sensitive topics online. Moreover, I conducted research on broader related topics such as conflict coverage and intersectional perspectives in journalism, including on harassment and self-censorship.


Definition of journalists' safety

To me, journalists' safety represents a holistic approach to creating and sustaining conditions in which journalists can thrive and contribute actively to social change and peaceful societies.

Future plans for research on journalists' safety

Apart from the research project on digital security in journalistic reporting based in Germany, I am interested in examining digital media and conflict in the Sahel as well as intersectional perspectives on digital interaction between journalists, their sources and audiences.
Research focuses:
Digital, intersectionality
Methods used in research:
Surveys, Interviews, Qualitative content analysis, Audio diaries
Countries of research focus:
Germany, Burkina Faso

Areas interested in collaborating with NGOs

On intersectional approaches and on digital media & conflict

Areas interested in collaborating with other researchers

intersectional approaches; digital security; dataveillance

Viviane Schönbächler